Portsmouth's Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre completes 30,000th cataract operation as waiting time cut to just two weeks

There has been a double whammy of celebrations for the Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre at St Mary’s, Portsmouth, this week as staff have not only completed their 30,000th cataract operation, but they have also managed to reduced the waiting time for NHS patients down to two weeks.

The ophthalmology service has been running since 2006, and the team have been working tirelessly over the past two years to try and reduce the waiting time for NHS patients, and get to as many people as possible.

NHS patients can now be seen for a consultation and have their procedure in under two weeks with a referral from their GP or optometrist and they also offer laser treatment for cataracts which is only a four week wait.

The clinic works with both NHS and private patients and they recently performed their 30,000th cataract operation on NHS patient, Margaret Tull, 72, who had to have her lens replaced.

To mark the celebration, the 72-year-old was handed champagne and flowers, and she said how she could not fault the team at the practice.

Margaret said: ‘Everything went very smoothly and I was reassured to know I was in such good hands, with a team who have done so many operations the same as mine in the past. I’d been struggling to read text on the TV for a while so my optometrist referred me.

‘I was in and out within an hour and the team were all so kind, surprising me with champagne and flowers. I could see more clearly immediately and I’m already looking forward to getting my other eye done.’

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Cataract is when the lens inside your eye develops cloudy patches which, if they are left untreated, will grow larger and affect a person’s overall vision.

Margaret added: ‘I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, but it was fine. It was a bit uncomfortable but it was over so quickly.

‘They were very good, very friendly, very nice and they all helped reassure me and they were lovely.

‘It is quite a significant number so it is worth celebrating. It is good to celebrate what they are doing. They did very well and it only took a couple of months since I went to the opticians to having it replaced, and I wasn’t expecting it to be so soon.’

Professor Richard Newsom, clinical director of ophthalmology at Practice Plus Group and the ophthalmologist who carried out the procedure, said: ‘We’re very proud to be able to offer great care in a timely manner. We enjoy excellent patient feedback thanks to our group of highly experienced cataract surgeons and team of ophthalmology nurses.

‘People have been put off accessing healthcare unless it’s an emergency because of all the negative headlines, but we are here for people who are experiencing sight loss through cataracts. Patients not only regain their vision but they go on to sleep better and their mobility and overall health and lifestyle improves.’